


These Petals That Fall So Gently

by jisxngie



Series: Seventeen Drabbles and Smuts [6]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Near Death, One-Sided Attraction, Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 11:12:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6852349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jisxngie/pseuds/jisxngie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>The Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from one-sided love, where the patient throws up and coughs of flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. The infection can be removed through surgery, but the feelings disappear along with the petals.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	These Petals That Fall So Gently

_The Hanahaki Disease is an illness born from one-sided love, where the patient throws up and coughs of flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. The infection can be removed through surgery, but the feelings disappear along with the petals._

\----

Minghao gazed at the soft crimson petals resting in his hand. Not some bloody, sticky mess. Just a couple of petals.

“No, not now…” Minghao muttered to himself as he quickly ran into the bathroom of the dorm and dropped the petals into the toilet before flushing away the evidence of the disease with which he had feared from the day he discovered it. The Hanahaki Disease. Cause? Wen Junhui. The disease caused any victim of it extreme discomfort in the fact that it made him or her cough or throw up flower petals due to the fact that they were experiencing a one-sided love.

Minghao ran down the hall and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and downed it quickly as if to soothe the burning in his throat, ignoring Seungcheol’s concerned face; Minghao barely ever needed to drink that much water at once. Junhui was on the couch next to him, sparing the younger a glance before returning to whatever book he was reading.

-

Minghao sat exhaustedly against the wall in the practice room, practice for hours on end seeming to have tired him out so much. His breath was hot and quick and he gave Junhui subtle looks when he thought he wasn’t looking, the elder’s hair fanned over his forehead as he talked with Chan and Seungkwan. Minghao felt a pang of jealousy and that terribly familiar feeling bubbled up in his throat again. He stood on shaky legs and quickly made his way out of the practice room and into the bathroom down the hall, hand pressed over his mouth and arm clutching his stomach.

He completely missed the way Junhui’s eyes trailed after him before returning to his conversation.

Minghao’s condition gradually became worse and worse, from only a couple of petals to a small handful to a small pile and now into a nonstop flow of petals that Minghao felt were trying to suffocate him. He choked out more petals while he leaned over the toilet, his throat burning and his trachea blocked at frequent times. He was even forced to stay back from their special performance of Pretty U at a music show because his temperature had skyrocketed and he looked a lot skinnier and paler.

He felt like he was going to die.

-

Minghao now barely ever moved from his bed, medical wires running all over his room and hooked to his arms and heart and under constant care by Seungcheol and Jeonghan. Whenever he was allowed to he was always sitting in the corner of the practice room watching the rest of the boys rehearse for their performances. It didn’t stop the disease though, it didn’t stop the way his throat contracted with the petals when Junhui looked at him, it didn’t stop the jealousy bubbling inside of him when the elder joked with Vernon or Joshua or Mingyu and Wonwoo. It didn’t stop him on his way to certain death.

Minghao lingered in the practice room after they had finished, telling them to go on and smiling softly at Jeonghan and Seungcheol who gave him worried looks. He stood and padded over to the middle of the room, sitting down and looking at himself in the big wall mirror. He definitely looked a lot older and more dead looking than he did a month ago; skinny, pale, sick, diseased. He wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

So that’s what he did.

He pulled his almost-too-thin-to-be-human legs to his chest and buried his head in his arms, letting tears trail down his cheeks in guilt and fear. He hated how he could cry so easily, while the others could continue on fighting with a smile on their face. He hated how the others would have to suffer because of him. He hated himself.

“He thinks I’m nothing. I’m nothing. Yeah, that’s right, I know he knows I’m nothing to him. He thinks I’m disgusting. Feral. Something that shouldn’t deserve to be receiving this sort of treatment when there’s people in the world _starving_. Yeah, Minghao, yeah, haha, that’s what he’s thinking,” Minghao was rambling on and on to himself, his Chinese piercing the still air like a knife and tears still trickling down his cheeks.

Minghao had no idea when or how somebody had got into the practice room but when he felt two strong arms wrap around him, that familiar scent flooding his nose, his throat wanted to cough up more blood red petals. The Chinese male turned around and pushed the figure with every ounce of strength his body could muster as he scrambled backwards until his back hit the mirror, hand shooting up to prevent the petals from spilling from his throat and mouth. His eyes focused in the bright lights and he was staring right into the eyes of the man he’s been hopelessly in love with since the day this fucking curse started. Wen Junhui.

“You’re nothing to who?” came the elder’s hushed voice, his body crawling closer until he was on his knees in front of Minghao, “Minghao you’re everything we could have asked for.” Junhui’s gentle Chinese calmed Minghao a little but not a lot; he backed up against the mirror more. Minghao choked a little, his gag reflex kicking in from the constant scratching of the petals. “Minghao? What’s wrong? Why are you covering your mouth?”

Minghao backed up more, his knees slotting beneath him so that he was sitting on his calfs. He had tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and his trachea was contracting and being continuously blocked by the petals, forcing him to choke a little more until a couple of petals fell from between his fingers; they fell to the floor gently, like a feather. “Mingh-?”

Minghao removed his hand and began to choke and cough and gag, dozens upon dozens of petals falling from his lips. He began to cry again and his hands came up to hold his aching throat. “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry...Hyung...I’m so so sorry...I can’t…! You must think I’m disgusting-” “Minghao, what-?” “You must think I’m absolutely feral, coughing out crimson petals like a maniac…” Minghao was crying, the poor boy was full on sobbing now, his tears running like waterfalls and soft, velvety petals scattered around them and in his trembling hands. “I’m so sorry…Hyung, I’m so sorry...I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this...I’m sorry for lying and being too cowardly to confront what the fuck was happening to me…” Minghao was rambling again, head hung and loud sniffs echoing in the practically empty room. He expected Junhui to laugh, to call him silly and an idiot, to ruffle his hair and say it was an act like he always did.

Except this time the elder simply pulled Minghao towards him and wrapped his arms fully around the younger boy. “Minghao...shhh, it’s okay...I’m here...I’m not going to let you go…” Junhui let Minghao cry into his shoulder, the latter’s hands balling in his shirt, “but why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because...b-because it’s you...I couldn’t tell y-you...b-because the c-cause of i-it a-all is you...you stole my heart and I know you probably hate me now but the cause of this condition...the cause of all of that medical equipment...is you...it’s you, Junhui hyung…” Minghao was shaking, his Chinese shaky and unclear at certain parts. 

“I’m in love with you, hyung...this,” Minghao gestured to all of the petals and wet tear drops around them, “this is all because I’m a fool for falling for you…”

“Minghao…” Junhui spoke softly, hands coming up to cup the younger’s cheeks, “do you know how worried I was when I saw you in bed…? You had all of these wires running all over your bed and your chest was rising and falling so little I thought you were going to die...every time you excused yourself to the bathroom I would stop all conversation and go sit in the corner and brood. Eventually you were going so frequently I got so caught up and made many mistakes on stage and in practice. Our manager couldn’t blame me…” Junhui pressed their foreheads together and his thumbs wiped Minghao’s tears away gently. “We were so worried about you, Minghao...we love you,” Junhui whispered, closing his eyes, “but I missed you the most. I worried about you more than Seungcheol hyung and Jeonghan hyung. Minghao, do you have any idea just how _much_ I love you?” The younger Chinese shook his head gently and sniffed, “You never spoke out...so I never knew...and it lead to this…”

“Well let me show you,” Junhui spoke a little firmer this time, pulling Minghao so that he was straddling him, “let me show you just how much I fell for you.” The elder pressed firm lips to chapped ones, cradling the younger’s face in his hands so gently, so softly. Minghao’s grip on Junhui’s shirt eased and he opted for simply placing his hands on his chest.

For the first time since this entire condition, this entire disease, this entire curse began; Minghao could _breathe_.

And what a nice way to spend his first real breath, as well. All caught up in Junhui’s charm and his gentle nature. “I love you so much Minghao...I love you so much and never ever doubt that…”

“I love you too…Junhui hyung.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'M SO SORRY
> 
> B Y E


End file.
